At 9 pm on 26^th December 2016, the Maoists came for Budhram Mandavi. Nearing 50 years old at the time and unmarried, Budhram was beloved in the village and served as a cook in the village school. Accusing him of being a police informer, the Maoists came under the cover of darkness and brutally killed him as an example to the other villagers.

 

“We all felt scared after (Budhram) was killed. We are stuck in a hole with Maoists on one side who can make us go cold at any moment, and the police on the other who can throw us in jail at any time,” said Dhansingh Padami, the Patel (chief) of the village Budhram lived at.

Budhram is survived by his nephew, Ramesh Mandavi. According to government policy, the next of kin should receive Rs. 500,000 (USD 6500) as muazza (compensation) for death at the hands of the Maoists. However, despite their best efforts, the money hasn’t come even 4 years after Budhram’s death.

“I have already spent 4000-5000 trying to get the compensation money, I have gone to the SP, collector, the Barsu thana (police office) and even the Dantewada courts,” says Ramesh Mandavi, appealing to the government for providing him the long overdue compensation.